Article published January 10, 2008
FBI to assist in investigation of Lima woman killed in deadly raid
Veteran officer identified as shooter
By JENNIFER FEEHAN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
LIMA, Ohio - The FBI has joined state investigators in a probe of the fatal shooting of a Lima woman and a veteran police sergeant was identified as the shooter yesterday.
Jennifer Brindisi, a spokesman for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, said federal agents are working with the agency to determine how Tarika Wilson, 26, was shot to death and her 14-month-old son, Sincere Wilson, wounded during the Friday night raid at their East Third Street home. She said the FBI likely will examine the case for possible civil-rights violations as well.
Sgt. Joseph A. Chavalia, 52, was identified by Lima Police Chief Greg Garlock as the officer who fired the shots that killed Wilson and injured her son, who was in her arms at the time. An autopsy showed Wilson was shot twice in the upper torso, said Dr. Gary Beasley, Allen County coroner.
Sergeant Chavalia, who was placed on paid administrative leave after the incident, has been with the police department for 30 years and has been part of its Special Weapons and Tactical team since 1986, ac-cording to a statement released by Chief Garlock.
During Friday's raid, police arrested Wilson's boyfriend, Anthony Terry, on a charge of trafficking in drugs. Police, who have not released any details about the events leading up to the shooting, said they found marijuana and crack cocaine in the house.
Chief Garlock said Terry "was the subject of a long-term drug investigation for whom the search warrant was served" Friday.While the chief said Sergeant Chavalia was not involved with Terry's 1994 arrest on drug and weapons charges, he was one of two officers who were involved in a 2000 incident at the Lima Rescue Home in which police shot and killed a homeless man, Michael Hildebrandt, 30, following a six-hour standoff.
Mr. Hildebrandt had locked himself in a third-floor room, refused to come out, and set his mattress on fire. After seeing smoke, Sergeant Chavalia and Officer Kelly Ricker broke down his door then fired nonlethal bean bags at Mr. Hildebrandt, who had a knife. When Mr. Hildebrandt still failed to surrender, he was fatally shot by Officer Ricker.
Lima City Law Director Tony Geiger said both officers were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in that case by an Allen County grand jury and by the FBI, which examined the case for potential civil-rights violations.
The FBI involvement in the Wilson case was welcome news to local African-American leaders.
"The FBI needs to investigate because of the way the shooting happened and the fact that the girl's life was taken and the child was injured," said Bishop Richard Cox, an official with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. "The fact that it was from the SWAT team and a tactical officer, it questions how the officers are trained. … We still think there is no reason that amount of force should have been used."
Bishop Cox said the conference was conducting its own investigation into Wilson's death and probing the deaths of other African-Americans who died while in custody at the Allen County jail in Lima.
Ms. Brindisi said Attorney General Mark Dann could be in Lima next week to talk to community members.
| FATAL LIMA DRUG BUST SHOOTING |
|
|
|
"With the tension in the community and the public interest and the media interest in this case, we think it's important to bring the attorney general to Lima and that's likely to happen next week," Ms. Brindisi said.
On Tuesday night, Lima City Council unanimously agreed to pay for Wilson's funeral expenses.
"This was done as a moral obligation, so legally there's no admission of liability," Mr. Geiger said.
Wilson's mother, Darla Jennings, said it was the least the city could do. "There was never any question in my mind who was going to pay for this funeral," she said bitterly.
The wake for Wilson is to be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Grace Church Worldwide Ministries, 2945 Wells Dr., where her funeral is to be held at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-353-5972.
Permanent Link
|
|
 |
|
VIEW: 
Search
advertisement
